Course spacer and mortar barrier



March 26, 1968 F. NEAL, JR

COURSE SPACER AND MORTAR BARRIER Filed Oct. 12, 1965 U fif:

. INVENTOR. 2 50 4 544, 4?

United States Patent 3,374,589 COURSE SPACER AND MORTAR BARRIER Fred Neal, In, Paris, Tex. (Rte. 2, Box 206, Hallsville, Tex. 75650) Filed Oct. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 495,076

r 6 Claims. (Cl. 52105) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE (1) For use in erecting a masonry wall, a course guide comprising: a flat sheet of flexible material; opposed flanges normal to said sheet in Opposite directions on the and overlying adjacent courses.

This invention relates to masonry wall construction, and more particularly to a combined brick course spacer and mortar barrier device.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a practical, inexpensive, and easily used device of the kind indicated, which facilitates and reduces the time required for construction of brick walls, to accurate predetermined heights and configurations, and which, at the same time automatically provides, at the side of the wall, remote from that from which the mortar is applied between courses, a uniform surface, to which wall components can be secured, without special preparation of that side of the wall.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above, which:

(1) Assures accurate and uniform spacing and orientation of the bricks in a course, and in overlying and in underlying courses;

(2) Enables working out, beforehand, the proper placement for brick around wall openings and corners;

(3) Enables construction of any desired number of imposed courses of brick, without interrupting the building for the application of mortar, so that the mortar can then be applied either manually, or by machine, at substantial savings of labor, and without the loss of mortar which would otherwise escape between courses, at the side of the wall remote from that which the mortar is applied;

(4) Eliminates the need to level any but the bottom course of bricks, and enables predetermining the exact height of the top course, without resorting to the common practice of varying the thickness of mortar between courses.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described above, which is adapted to be made of kraft paper, treated to have the necessary stiflFness and load-supporting characteristics, but retaining the capacity to be cut to size and dimensions with ordinary shears, the device thereby being cheaper to provide than metal construction and cheaper to handle and store. Other equivalent materials may be used.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a brick wall constructed with devices of the present invention, before application of mortar thereto;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic end view, partly in section;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a device of the invention, per se;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3; and,

3,374,589 Patented Mar. 26, 1968 FIGURE 5 is a vertical transverse section, taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, a brick wall W is shown, which comprises upper, intermediate, and lower brick courses C, B, and A, respectively, which are vertically spaced at the same distances apart, by means of devices 10 of the present invention, the bricks 12 in each course being longitudinally spaced from each other, at uniform distances, with the spaces between the bricks in the courses staggered.

The device 10 comprises an elongated, rectangular horizontal sheet 14, of suitably treated kraft paper. The sheet 14 is folded along a longitudinal line parallel spaced from one longitudinal edge thereof, to define a pendant, relatively narrow right-angular flange 18. A perpendicular mortar barrier sheet 20, narrower than the sheet 14, and preferably narrower, as indicated in FIGURE 2, than the height or thickness of a brick 12, has a lower portion 22 thereof secured, by any suitable means, to the outer side of the flange 18, with the lower edge 24 of the barrier sheet on a level with the lower edge 26 of the flange 18. The material of the barrier sheet 20 is deformed and displaced, as indicated at 28, over the upper edge of the flange 18, so that the main portion 30 of the barrier sheet 20, is positioned in vertical alignment with the flange 18. This arrangement puts the inner surface 32 of the barrier sheet flush with the inner surface 34 of the flange 18.

The horizontal sheet 14 is wider than the main barrier sheet portion 30, but is slightly narrower than the width of associated bricks 12, as shown in FIGURE 2. The horizontal sheet 14 is formed, along its longitudinal centerline, with a parallel sided, relatively wide grid 36, preferably defined by diamond-shaped openings 38. The grid 36 is provided to procure adequate bond between mortar applied between the brick courses and the bricks thereof.

The dual thickness of material defined by the flange '18, and the lower portion 22 of the barrier sheet 30, is formed, at regular longitudinal intervals, with longitudinally elongated slots 42, through which metal or other material wall ties 44 are adapted to be engaged, as indicalted in FIGURE 5.

The brick course spacing function of the horizontal sheet 14, aside from the thickness thereof, is provided .by rows of equally longitudinally spaced and aligned uprising projections 46, located spacedly at opposite sides of the grid 36, the projections in the rows being staggered relative to each other.

The projections 46 are preferably in the form of hollow frusto-conical studs, machine-formed in the sheet 14, and having flat load-bearing upper ends 48, but may be otherwise formed and suitably attached to the sheet 14.

The side of the main portion 30 of the barrier sheet 20, facing the horizontal sheet 14, is formed with a longitudinal row of equally longitudinally spaced perpendicular, parallel gauge marks 52, which are visible above the bricks 12 laid upon the projections 46, to serve as guides to the accurate and uniform longitudinal spacing of adjacent bricks 12, relative Ito each other, in a course; and a guide to the laying of bricks in an overlying course.

As indicated in FIGURE 2, in use and operation, a lower brick course A having been laid and levelled, a device 10 is then placed thereon, with the gauge marks 52 thereof properly related to the ends of the bricks in the course A, for the desired arrangement of courses, and with the flange 18 engaged with the related sides of the bricks in the course A, so that the then upstanding 'barrier sheet 20 extends above the course A.

The next above course B is then laid upon the projecttions 46 of the device 10, with the bricks of the course B,

3 I longitudinally spaced from each other, with reference to the' gauge marks 52. and With the related sides of thebricks in the course B engaged with the barrier sheet 20.

The laying of the next above brick course C is then proceeded with, another device 10 havin first been placed upon the course B, and the laying of subsequent brick courses is proceeded with in the same manner.

Several mutual supporting brick courses having been laid, as above outlined, or an entire Wall, mortar is adapted to be applied between the courses, either manually or by machine. The applied mortar is positively stopped from being forced out between the courses, and between adjacent bricks in courses, by the presence of the barrier sheets 20.

What is claimed is:

1. A masonry wall comprising upper and lower brick courses, a device positioned between and vertically spacing said courses, said device comprising a horizontal sheet resting upon the lower course, said sheet being formed with spaced projection means upstanding thereon, the upper course supportably resting upon the projection means, wherein a perpendicular mortar barrier is secured to and extends above the horizontal sheet and extends upwardly across the gap between the brick courses and is in contact with one side of the bricks in the upper and .lower courses.

3. A masonry wall according to claim 1, wherein said barrier comprises a pendant flange along a longitudinal edge of the horizontal sheet, and an upstanding barrier sheet having a lower portion secured to a side of the flange, the barrier sheet having an upper portion laterally displaced relaltive to its lower portion whereby the surface of the flange and said upper main portion facing the horizontal sheet are flush with each other and engage bricks in the upper and lower courses.

4. A masonry wall according to claim 3, wherein said horizontal sheet, said flange, and said barrier sheet are formed of treated paper-like material and said projections are hollow and formed of material of the horizontal sheet.

5. For use in erecting a masonry wall, a course guide comprising: a flat sheet of flexible material; opposed flanges normal to said sheet in opposite directions on the same margin of said 'sh'eet; rows of course spacing means projecting from said sheet; and a mortar pervious grid extending centrally the length of said sheet.

-6. A course guide as set forth in claim 5, in which the guide is formed of kraft board.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,331,834 2/1920 Weil 52--412 1,703,095 2/1929; Burgess 52413 1,7 88,248 1/ 1931 ORourke 52--442 2,027,133 1/ 1936 Weinstein 52-60 2,057,462 10/ 1936 Weaver 52--59 2,483,560 10/ 1949 Peterson 52-712 5 2,669,116 2/ 1954 Erickson 52-712 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. JAMES L. RIDGILL, 111., Examiner. 

